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M is for My kids could teach me a thing or two

Forgiveness.
I’m amazed at how quickly children forgive and forget. How quickly I am forgiven by them for the mistakes I make as a parent. As you get older it seems harder to forgive others so freely and forgetting is nearly impossible.

I’m a good mother.
I know many times in my blog I talk about my anxieties or shortcomings as a mom. But sometimes there are moments when you see your children and the people they are becoming and think to yourself, “maybe I am doing something right.”

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.
Work is serious, sometimes boring, and lately really insane. When you’re a kid there are no worries about work; your job is to play all day. I need to make time to play more instead of worrying about work outside office doors.

Be selfish.
Children, by nature, are selfish creatures. We teach them to think of others as they get older. We teach them to share, be compassionate, do unto others. Sometimes parents don’t take enough time for themselves. I know I don’t. We give so much to our families that sometimes we neglect our own wants/needs. Sometimes, a little selfishness isn’t a bad thing.

Feel the music and move to it.
I remember when AH could stand up on her own, the next milestone was shaking her diapered tush. Little ones have no inhibition. They hear a beat they like? They dance and clap to the music. They’re inspired. Be inspired, and let it move you.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.
The further we get into adulthood, we begin to form this candy coated shell on our exteriors. Composed and solid on the outside but if we get a little goofy, that exterior will crack. But kids don’t care. They’ll laugh at themselves and be goofy just for the fun of it.

Enjoy the good stuff first.
I my family, we do something called Dessert First Day. It’s a day that I let the kids pick a dessert and they get to eat it before their dinner. I tell them they still have to eat some of their dinner but that sometimes in life, you should enjoy the good stuff first. Shake things up a bit. Don’t save it for a special occasion because today is special in its own right.

Find the Hallelujah in everything.
AH went through a phase where anything that excited her would get a loud, “Hallelujah!” Sitting on top of LD’s shoulders? “Hallelujah!” Finger-painting with new paints? “Hallelujah!” Having her dinner plate sat in front of her? “Hallelujah!” I began thinking, “I should be learning from her.”

Don’t procrastinate.
This post is proof that I am a procrastinator (the A to Z challenge is now on N). But my kids don’t give me the luxury of procrastination. When they want something, whether it’s my attention or money, it usually can’t (or won’t) wait. And by the time I get around to what needs to be done, I am too exhausted and choose sleep instead.